CREATING A BRAVE NEW WORLD — A REVIEW

After a virulent strain called blue pox kills a large portion of the population, leaving only a core of older people and very few young ones, a band of strong women form a commune on a Tennessee college campus, determined to rebuild their lives and rely on one another.

Narrated in first person voice by eighteen-year-old Madison, Obsolete is all about what can happen in a world ravaged by disease, especially when the power structure is recreated in such a way that one gender is in control of the other. In this commune of women, ruled by Katherine, a kindly but strong woman, and her harsh sidekick Callie, it soon becomes apparent that the thirst for power has created a new kind of evil in this community that was supposed to be a strong but kinder world.

What happens to change Madison’s feelings about the commune? How does a new ruling about “using” men for the purposes dictated by those in charge shift the loyalties within the community and create a kind of civil war?

I very quickly engaged with Madison and Jonah, who has been “chosen” by Callie for nefarious purposes, rooting for their happiness, even as they struggled to find a way out of their situation.

In the end, I was happily settling into an idyllic oasis with them, but the enemies hover nearby, reminding us of the constant danger. Since this is the first in a series, I am eager to follow Madison, Jonah, and their friends as they continue striving for the freedom to make their own choices. Five stars.